nursing shortage? nursing schools full?

[katie12345]

I was just wondering if their is such a nursing shortage than why can't everyone who wants to be a nurse get into a nursing school right away? Is their a nursing teacher shortage or what? A lot of people want to be nurses, but so many of them are having a hard time getting into a nursing program. Does anyone know of any nursing schools around the Southwestern Ohio area that are pretty easy to get into or don't have very long waiting list? Thanks!

[HappyNurse2005, RN]

This appeared in our newspaper the other day. I am currently in my 3rd semester of clinicals and waited a good year to get into the program itself. Here in DE, it is now rumored that is taking anywhere from 1-2 1/2 yrs to get in (that's second hand info)

http://www.delawareonline.com/newsj...ngstudents.html

I read this article, adn if I undestand it right, you can do your classroom part of nursing school-all the patho, pharm, nursing process, etc etc and be done with that, then wait a year or so before doing clinicals, then you'd do just clinicals for 2 years? Doesn't that make it hard to integrate your class knowledge iwht clinical experience if they are spaced so far apart?

[countryhick]

I really don't think that making more nursing school slots open will solve the problem. Its keeping people in the profession that needs to be addressed not making more.

I teach at a community college associated degree program and we recently added a night program, doubling our capacity. it is very exciting. it is true that the pay is not good. our students will start out making more than i do as new graduates, but it is, at the risk of sounding trite, very fulfilling.

[KRVRN, BSN, RN]

Several of the hospitals in my city got together a few years back and granted money to the nursing program I went to, to pay for more professors and such. I believe they accept 90 students per semester now instead of the 50 that they accepted when I went there. Their graduation rate hasn't risen significantly (so I'm told). Accepting more students doesn't mean you get more graduate nurses. Should they dumb down the program to pass more new nurses?

[countryhick]

Several of the hospitals in my city got together a few years back and granted money to the nursing program I went to, to pay for more professors and such. I believe they accept 90 students per semester now instead of the 50 that they accepted when I went there. Their graduation rate hasn't risen significantly (so I'm told). Accepting more students doesn't mean you get more graduate nurses. Should they dumb down the program to pass more new nurses?

yes, that is a good point. The students are mostly the ones who didn't make it in the other program. We will have to wait and see how they fare and if it affects our NCLEX pass rate. keep you posted.

[scherzo]

I am a new part time professor and I will never consider full time employment as a tenure track professor at least until I am retirement age...and I have my kids through college.

To work full time in teaching, I have to quit my clinical practice and work more than twice as hard and for about half of the money I make now. I will have to attend committee meetings, curriculum meetings, governance panels, write and give lectures, teach labs, and take two maximum capacity clinical groups through a hospital that struggles with keeping its census up.

I can teach freelance on contract for corporations and have written many CE courses and certification prep courses. Today, I get to do what I love...teach and take patients....

To become a full time professor, I would never have time to do anything except work in the school.

This sort of problem is not unique to nursing. Many, many fields have professors that take lower pay than their students will be making after graduation. (ie: Engineering, mathematics, computer science, etc)

The pay cut would be less painful for me if I could be able to continue the papers and the projects and the teaching methods I enjoy, but there will not be time.

I am definately going to be a professor someday...but not for a long while. Unless some things change for the better.

[llg, PhD, RN]

yes, that is a good point. The students are mostly the ones who didn't make it in the other program. We will have to wait and see how they fare and if it affects our NCLEX pass rate. keep you posted.

I know of a couple programs that are aggressively marketing their nursing programs to prospective student, accepting more students, etc. They seem real proud of themselves ... but their NCLEX pass rate is only about 50%. Our community would be a lot better off if they accepted fewer students and did a good job of teaching them.

ddd (llg's home account)